Nine Tales
by Kira Kunoichi
Summary: A cloud of mystery surrounds the kyuubi, full of strange coincidence. And we still don't know, exactly who are Naruto's parents? And who is the figure shrouded in mystique, Uchiha Madara? MinatoKushina. T for lime and slight violence/language.
1. Of Humans and Demons

_I use a lot of Japanese words in this story. Some translations are:_

_Bijuu: Tailed beasts_

_Kitsune: Fox_

_Kyuubi: Nine-tails_

_Machigai: Mistake  
_

_Tanuki: Japanese raccoon_

_Yokai: Spirits, non-humans_

_Ichi, ni, san, shi/yon, go, roku, shichi, hachi, ku/kyuu: One through nine_

* * *

Once, a powerful demon attacked the village of Konoha. It was the great Kyuubi, a nine-tailed fox, powerful beyond the villagers' wildest imaginings. It struck with a devastating force that would have demolished the village, but for one man. Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, sacrificed his life to seal the beast inside his infant son, who had been born that day to Uzumaki Kushina, a beautiful woman with red hair…

* * *

There was once a great demon-god lord, a powerful ruler of the yokai, who wished to extend his rule to the human world. So he decided that he would have eight daughters, one for each point of the compass, and that they would serve under him so that he might rule the world of the spirits still, while having delegates in the world of humans. 

He set about finding mothers to bear his children. He could not use yokai, because his daughters must have a connection to both the human and spirit worlds, but he could not use humans, because the human half would rebel against his commands. So he decided to father children with eight animals, whose spirits could easily be dominated by their yokai half, but who could live in the human world. He lay with a tanuki, a cat, a turtle, a dog, an eagle, a serpent, a wolf, and a tiger. His work was done, but before he could return to the spirit world, he encountered a beautiful kitsune. She spoke to him, inviting him to come drink saké with her. Once she had gotten him drunk, she seduced him, and he lay with her. He woke later with no memory of these events, and returned to the world of the spirits convinced that all had gone as planned.

Demons grow fast within their mother's wombs, so he returned in one month to claim his daughters. He gathered them to him, but as he went to take them, a she-kitsune came forward. In her mouth she held a kit with glossy red fur and nine tiny tails.

"This, too, is your daughter," she said, and gave the kit to him. Holding it in his hand, he could tell that it was stronger than its sisters. Its power intrigued him, so he took it with him, though he had not planned it.

He took his nine daughters, the bijuu, to a home he had prepared for them, a giant cavern at the bottom of a whirlpool. And there he raised them, for hundreds of years…

**Ku**

I was the youngest of my sisters, and the strongest, and the worst behaved. Because of my kitsune form, I had shape-changing abilities, and I abused them terribly. I loved nothing better than to take the form of a local god and go terrorize nearby villagers. Or maybe I would become a frog, and go converse with the other frogs at the bottom of the lake, or perhaps a falcon, and soar the skies. But there was one form that intrigued me most of all.

When I first began to take on human form, I had no idea of its subtleties, having no human in me. I would merely imitate the exact form of a human from a nearby village. It always delighted me to see them run in terror from what they assumed to be an evil doppelganger. But gradually, over time, over a span of centuries, I began to understand the human shape, the small variances that differentiated them. I began to create my own forms, taking elements from various humans. Finally, I settled on one shape; a young female human with deep blue eyes and hair the same tawny red as my fox fur. This shape felt _right_ somehow, as if it was the form I would have been born with had I been born human.

But of course, this shape could never feel as right as my natural form, my _true_ form, that of a nine-tailed demon fox. In this form, I was pure raw emotion. If I was angry, I might raze a village or crush a mountain range to pebbles. If I was restless, I might wear a valley in the earth with my pacing. If the slightest thing saddened me, I might weep a lake of salty tears. Unlike humans, I did not simply _feel_ my emotions, I _was_ them. This was what I truly was.

Father and my sisters disapproved of my shape-changing into a human. They thought that I might become one eventually. I merely scoffed, laughed at them. They simply didn't understand the powers of the kitsune. Only my eldest sister, a tanuki demon, could begin to understand, but she much preferred her true form and seldom changed shape. Of course, I was stronger—much, much stronger than her, so it might be that she would not be able to retain herself if she took human form too frequently. But I could. Of that, I was sure.

When I was young, only a few hundred years old, Father brought a woman to our home, our underwater cavern. To the others, she was simply a human creature, but after my years of study of humans, I could tell that she was a tall and slender female, with long, dark hair, and soft white eyes that were glazed and vacant. I asked Father about her, and he told me that she was of a prominent human clan, that she was under his enchantment, and that she was pregnant with his child.

"Why?" I asked. "You already have nine daughters to rule the earth for you. Why would you need a human child, too?"

"You are to rule," he replied, "but I wish also to create a legacy, a clan of humans to rule under you, lords of men."

A month later, the woman cried out, and her eyes widened even as they gazed blankly ahead. Father was not there, and my sisters showed no interest in her, so, taking my human form, I knelt beside her and took her hand. I peered down into her anguished face, not with human emotions, not with pity or comfort, but with a fierce curiosity. Using the sleeve of her kimono, I wiped the sheen of sweat from her face. I knelt beside her and held her hand, and she gave birth to two half-human infants, a male and a female. I turned to show them to their mother, and she blinked, once, twice, in surprise, then her eyes half-closed and her raised hand fell limply to her side.

Moments later, Father came down the whirlpool. Noticing the twins, he flew to my side.

"Ah," he said. "The human has given birth."

"She's dead," I said, but he didn't appear to hear me. He picked up the male baby and looked into its face. It had black hair like its mother, and glowing red eyes. "Madara," Father murmured. "Your name will be Uchiha Madara, and I will make a great nation of you. Your chakra is strong…"

"Father," I said, "what of the female?"

"She has too much human in her. She is useless, she is nothing. Her name will be Machigai—she is nothing but my mistake. I had not counted on twins."

"What shall we do with her?"

"You can have her," he said dismissively. "Kill her, abandon her, raise her, whatever you wish."

"I will raise her."

He eyed me scrutinisingly. "Sometimes I think that you have too much human in you as well, Ku." He took the male—Madara—and turned. "Now I will take this one to his grandfather. Farewell, my daughters."

I stood angrily at the entrance to our cavern home, glaring after him. There was no human in me, none at all! My mother was a kitsune and my father was a demon.

So how could I be human?

The female infant let out a soft wail and I went over and picked her up. Looking down at her, I saw that her hair and eyes were a soft dove grey. She cried again and moved her head from side to side, searching for food. I loosened the neck of my kimono and lifted her to my breast, willing milk to flow. It did, and she made contented baby noises as she drank eagerly.

Shi, my dog demon sister, padded over to me and lay down, the tips of her ears level with the top of my head when I knelt and she rested her head upon her paws. Her size did not intimidate me; I am much larger in my kitsune form.

"Giving suck to a human brat, Ku? Soon you'll be bearing sons for some nobleman."

I glared at her, all my fox ferocity in my blue human eyes. "So Father is allowed to build a human legacy, but I am not?"

Shi sneered. "So you're planning on building a legacy off that brat, Ku? Give it up. You heard Father. She's too weak, too _human_." She rose, and turned, but threw one last taunt over her shoulder. "Sort of like _you_."

Dropping Machigai, I leapt at Shi, changing to a kitsune in midair. I slammed into her, pinning her to the stone floor. Raising my claws, I slashed four cuts across her muzzle.

"That was a warning," I growled. "Insult me again, and I'll kill you!" I lifted my paw, letting her free, and she darted away with her tails between her legs.

Smiling, I returned to human form and went to pick Machigai up, and, stroking her hair to calm her, I resumed nursing.


	2. Of Raising A Child

**Ku**

I learned early on not to take my kitsune form around Machigai. Though it did not always go badly, I had no control over my emotions. I _wanted_ no control over my emotions, but still, some whim of mine made me want to keep her alive. I felt like I had to prove—to Father, to my sisters, and especially to myself—that I could do this. So I always took my human form around her, and years passed. All went well.

I noticed, in this time, that it was difficult to keep a shape other than my true one for long periods of time. I could keep a human form for about a month fairly easily, but after that, it would grow exponentially more difficult each day. At a certain point, the strain would become too much, and I would burst into my kitsune form, full of impatient and unreasonable anger. I would then turn on anyone or anything that moved, and my nine tails would whip out, crumbling walls and ripping chunks from the floor. It would sometimes be hours before I could calm myself to any extent. It was more than my usual transformation; I seemed to lose consciousness, awareness of my being, and later, it was only with much difficulty that I could begin to remember what had happened during that time. When I would first calm a bit, I would survey the wreckage in confusion, not realising that it was me who had caused the destruction. When one of my sisters finally told me that it was my doing, I would throw back my head and laugh, my raucous hilarity echoing off the walls. What a trick, to do this without even realising it myself! How delightfully strange!

It wasn't until I returned to human form that I would even wonder about Machigai. She seemed to have tremendous luck, for she survived many such mindless rampages, though she did break her arm once. Not many children could fare so well being raised by a demon.

Though Father had said that she was too human, Machigai proved to be an extraordinary child. She learned to speak early, and to crawl, and then to walk. She neither cried nor smiled much, she was solemn and inquisitive, and a fast and determined learner. And, unlike me, her curiousity was balanced out with good sense. She seemed to know instinctively to stay in the corner of the cavern where she lived, away from my sisters. And, though I knew it was impossible for a small child to be so intuitive, I got the feeling that she knew that I was more than I seemed, although I had stopped taking my demon form around her by the time she was a year old.

She grew to be a beautiful child, too, inheriting her mother's china doll face and large, gentle eyes. Her face was softly rounded, but she soon lost her baby fat and grew tall and thin. She kept her soft grey hair cropped short with a knife I brought her, but she was always feminine looking, even as a small child. Because I seldom took her out to the human world, her skin remained a proper noblewoman's pale shade. Altogether, she had a definite human beauty about her.

When I would take her to the surface, to the human world, Machigai wouldn't frolic about like most children, but rather would stare at everything fiercely, with an almost unnatural focus, as if she wanted to absorb as much of the trees and sun and flowers as possible before returning to the dim cavern. Sometimes, she would sit quietly for hours, just warming herself on a rock or watching the wind sway the tree branches. I knew from my observations of humans that this was unusual behavior for a child, and I wondered if, despite her pleasing face and startling intellect, there was something missing form her essential makeup, or if her brain had been somehow damaged during one of her falls as an infant. But other than these long, motionless silences, she seemed fairly normal, so I didn't worry.

I didn't worry much about Machigai. I was calm around her, measured, and careful, for I had extraordinary strength, even in my human form, but never gentle. It was not that I in any way deprived her; I was just cool, matter of fact. I wished to keep her alive, I had no reason to do her harm, but I was her caretaker always, never her mother, so I never spoiled her or cooed over her. She was well provided for, but never to the point of excess. She would be my legacy, but not my daughter.

I could never tell if Machigai thought of me as a mother. She was difficult to read, an enigma, a conundrum. She seldom spoke and never laughed. So, despite my keen powers of observation, I lived with her for years, and never knew who she really was.

It was difficult, more difficult than I could have imagined, to keep my true form a secret all those years. To spend most of my time in human form confused and disoriented me at times, and gave me severe mood swings at others. These intense emotions often caused me to change, pushed into demon form by my exuberance or fury. This happened a few times during the time I took care of Machigai, but I was usually able to run away from her before I changed, and then change back and return before my sisters ate her.

Then, one day, when Machigai was about nine years old, I completely lost control. I grew so enraged over some jibe of Ichi's that I began to change, right there, in front of Machigai. I had enough self-control left to slow the transformation, but not to delay it. As my chakra bubbled over me, morphing my body, Machigai let out a gasp of surprise. This somehow angered me, and, whirling on her, I swiped at her, scoring four deep gouges across her chest and face, breaking the china doll.

Underneath the blood, her breast still rose and fell, but the small part of my brain that was still conscious of my actions knew that if she was still in there when I finished my transformation, she would not survive. And I wanted her to live, though I couldn't quite remember why.

So I scooped her up in one half-hand half-paw and threw her. I threw her up, out of the cavern, to the surface, to the world of humans. Away from me.

And I never saw her again.


	3. Of An Encounter

**Ku**

It was a relief, at first, to have Machigai gone. I kept my true form all the time. I ran every day. I played pranks on my sisters and the local villagers. My laugh came often and loudly as I luxuriated in my newfound freedom.

After a while, however, I realised that much of what I had done for the past nine years was to raise Machigai, and now that she was gone, I didn't know what to do with all the time I had. I tired of my usual pranks, and found myself moving further and further from home on my expeditions, searching for something I could not find, could not even name.

Another change around that time was that Ichi was sent up to the surface. Of course, all of us were allowed into the human world, but so far, Father had not put into action his plan to make us his terrestrial ambassadors. This was the first step, and cause for many murmurings amongst us. Ichi, though of course she would fulfill her duty, was not thrilled to be sent from our home. She even mustered up the courage to ask Father why she had been chosen, something that I would usually be the only one to do.

"You are the eldest," he told her. "And your powers of transformation will help you to enter inconspicuously at first."

"Why not me?" I asked, blooming into fox form from the pebble I had been transformed into. "I am younger, yes, but much stronger. I, too, have powers of transformation, and am much more skilled and practised with them. Why not send me first?"

At this, Father threw his head back and laughed. "Send you first, Ku? So you can play tricks and laugh at humans? You already do that. You are too flighty, mercurial, foolish. You are not ready to rule. _If _I send you, I will send you last."

Snarling with rage, I leapt into the air and, changing into a white tern, I soared up the whirlpool into the wide blue sky, leaving a pile of my dung behind in the cave. Flapping my wings hard, I caught a thermal and soared upward, circling far above the ground, rice fields spread out below me like a patchwork quilt. Rivers wound across the blue-green ground like ribbons; like silvery-blue winding snakes. I calmed in my soaring bird shape, letting the thermals carry me, angling my wings to catch the winds. I rose higher and shed my white feathers, bursting through them as a golden eagle. My sharp eyes caught a silver shimmer in the rippling river and I angled myself downwards, shooting towards the ground only to pull up sharp, a wriggling salmon in my talons. I let out a screech of delight in my victory, then glided to the top branch of a weathered oak to feast on my kill.

As soon as I finished eating the fish, my anger rushed back into my now undistracted mind. If! _If_ he sent me! And Ichi—_Ichi_ was to go first! I was far more fit to the job than her—she was foolish, malevolent, and unintelligent. She was more likely to get herself captured by humans than to rule them. But I—I would rule them, supreme justice, a tyrant, a queen, a god. I would never be caught or trapped, I would never be made subservient by mortals, for I could go as a human among them, as a wild animal in the forest, or as a giant fox, omnipotent, all-knowing, terrifying. I—_I_ could rule. But Ichi? She could never be a leader.

In my fury, I dove from the tree branch on which I perched, landing lightly on lion's paws. I ran wildly through the forest, blinded by my rage. I flickered through forms as I ran; deer, tiger, rabbit, horse, wolverine, leopard, monkey. Finally, I burst into my true form, and let my anger devour my soul, feast on my flesh and give birth to destruction. I cared for nothing; I knew nothing but rage, rage and devastation.

I know not what happened after that.

* * *

I woke later, who knows how much later, where I had fallen when exhaustion finally bore me down. All around me was the wreckage of what had used to be a forest. Ancient trees were toppled, their trunks splintered by chunks of jagged stone. Standing, I arched my back, stretching like a cat. I shook heavily, and debris flew from my fur. I smiled wickedly at the destruction, though anger no longer flooded my veins. I felt no more urge to destroy. In fact, I felt oddly calm, serene. Leaping atop an enourmous chunk of stone, I surveyed into the distance and caught a glimpse of treetops—forest that I had not yet demolished. Squinting, I thought I saw a distant shimmer beyond them. A city? It gave me an idea, and I moved towards it.

So Father would not send me to rule yet. But he could not stop me venturing to the surface. I would find this city, and make it my own. I would show him my power.

I broke into a lolloping run, and then a gallop, leagues flying by beneath my feat. When I reached the edge of the forest I transformed, and ran through it as a deer, not as quickly, but far less conspicuously. My animalian body was still powered by demon strength, so I soon neared the city. Ascending a cliff, I gazed down on the village that would be mine, and wanted nothing more than to leap down amongst the buildings and enforce my rule.

_Patience,_ I reminded myself. _Stealth. Reconnaissance._

I soared as a bird across the sky.

* * *

Years passed, I knew not how many. Ichi was sent to a human village, Sunagakure, and was captured, sealed in a teakettle. Ni was sent out, and was captured by another village, Kumogakure. Shi was dominated as well—of the first four, only San remained unsealed, and she is far too stupid to do anything with her freedom, much less rule. Go, Roku, Shichi, and Hachi were to be sent out soon, and I suspected that they would fare better. I wanted no chance to be overshadowed, so I decided that it was time to act.

I was walking towards the city in human form when I saw them. Cresting a bluff, I glanced down into a clearing and glimpsed the humans. They were both male, and I guessed one to be in his thirties, and the other to be about ten or eleven. The elder of the two was tall, with untidy white hair and strange facial markings. The younger one had yellow hair that, despite an obvious effort on his part to neaten it, was nearly as disorderly as that of the white-haired man. The older one appeared to be instructing the younger, who was doing things with his hands that caused his chakra to move in strange ways. There was a puff of smoke, and a small frog hopped from the boy's hands towards me. I leapt behind a tree just in time; a moment later, the boy came running through the trees where I had been standing a moment before. He blundered through the forest for a while before returning to the man with empty hands. They spoke briefly, then the boy began to mould his chakra again.

What a wonderful trick it would be, I thought slowly, to fool these humans into thinking I was their friend. The small, yellow-haired one especially. I knew I could fool him. I would convince him that we were friends, then I would use that to take over the village. I would become one of them.

Since I was to befriend the child, I decided to take a child's form. I transformed into a small, red-haired girl, perhaps nine or ten years old. Looking down, I realised with a shock what I was wearing. I was clad in an oversized tunic, patched and colourless, but clean and neat. The same thing Machigai had been wearing the last time I had seen her. The first thing that had come to my mind when I had thought of a girl of her age. I hastily shook my head to clear it. Machigai was dead. Even if she had survived her wounds, she would have died of old age long ago. I transformed again, and this time I wore a large orange shirt and short pants that fell to my knees. A bright blue bandana held my hair in place atop my head. I was ready.

Purposefully tripping over a root, I sent myself tumbling head over heels down the slope, landing their feet. Hurriedly scrambling up, I eyed them nervously.

"Hello," said the tall, white-haired man. "Who are you?"

"Ku," I blurted out before I could think of any other name. I hurried to explain. "It's short for—for Kushina," I stumbled. "My name is Uzumaki Kushina."

* * *

**Minato**

I was startled by the girl's sudden appearance, but Jiraiya-sensei appeared not to be, so I did my best to hide my surprise. Jiraiya-sensei asked for her name and she replied that it was Uzumaki Kushina. A strange name, like mine. It is unusual to find names relating to ocean storms this far inland. I like my name, though. Minato—port, harbor. A kind name.

Uzumaki Kushina, though. That name was fierce and strong, like the girl's fiery hair, so different from mine. But her eyes, those were like mine—soft blue, but with a hidden ferocity. Strong. Deep. I could see in her eyes that she was the kind of girl who could be my friend, just as I saw kindness in Jiraiya's eyes behind his rough, joking exterior.

Jiraiya-sensei asks her where she is from, and she hesitates, then replies that she is from a former ninja village, a small village that we will not have heard of. She is not a ninja, but wishes to learn.

Jiraiya glances at me questioningly, and I shrug. He says that he could teach her if she wishes, that she could learn side-by-side with me and my team members.

She smiles.


	4. Of Secret Organisations

**Madara**

The people of Konoha thought that I was dead. They had too much faith in their precious Hokage—they seriously believed that he could defeat me—me, who had never lost a battle! He thought that he had defeated me only because that was what I wanted him to believe. It had been time for me to disappear, before people realised that I wasn't getting any older.

It was true, I did not age. I knew not why or how it had come about, but it appeared that I would remain thirty years old for the rest of my life, which most likely wouldn't end until I was killed in battle. While immortality could be quite handy, it was sure to have aroused suspicion, so I left. But Ichidaime Hokage, my teammate, didn't want to let me go, being convinced that the two of us had 'bonded' or some such nonsense. So, in the end, I had to fight him, though I only wanted to leave peacefully. I considered killing him, but did not wish to have search teams hunting me down, so I made him believe that I was dead, that he had killed me. And, finally, I left in peace.

So I wandered, for many years. Sometimes I would do mercenary work, but never enough to attract Konoha's attention. It was convenient, if dull, to be dead. I traveled for years, how many I do not know, until, one day, I met a strange woman on the forest road.

"Halt, Uchiha Madara," she ordered, and I stopped, shocked. So word of my continued existence had finally gotten out?

I looked at the woman carefully, trying to place her. She was tall, lean, and muscular, with a hard look about her. Her dove grey hair was pulled into a topknot in samurai style, with a few loose, neatly cropped strands falling across her face. She would have had a pretty face, with soft grey eyes and a shapely chin, but for the jagged scars running across it and the steely look in her eyes. Her eye, I should say, as a worn eyepatch obscured one that was crossed by a scar.

She wore a long woolen cloak, fastened at her right shoulder by a dull brooch. Two soft leather boots showed beneath the hem, encrusted with the dry, cracked mud of many roads. She had a small pack thrown over one shoulder, and in her hand she held a sturdy yew staff. A metallic glint came from the gap in he cloak, hinting at more sinister weapons.

Something in her sparked a glint of almost-memory, like a dream long forgotten.

"Who are you?" I asked.

She smiled. "Uchiha Machigai."

"Uchiha?" My brow furrowed. "I thought that all of my descendants had dark hair and eyes."

She smiled again, a mysterious, enigmatic smile. "Maybe I am not one of your descendants."

"But Uchiha…?"

Another smile. "I never said that I was not one of your relatives."

This I knew was impossible. "But I am the founder of the Uchiha clan—the first Uchiha."

"And your father?"

I hesitated, my brow furrowed. "I—I—"

"Uchiha Madara, I am your twin sister."

"Impossible!"

"Is it?"

I stood still for a moment, dumbfounded. Then my gaze hardened into a glare and I drew one of my swords.

"If you are my sister, then prove it."

She didn't have to ask what I meant. She swung her staff around, gripping in with both hands at waist height. Her smile taunted me, and I charged.

I didn't even see her hands move. One moment, my sword was plunging towards her breast, the next it was wrenched from my hands, the blade buried nearly two centimeters into her wooden staff. I leapt back to ready myself for another attack, drawing my second sword as she tossed the staff aside, holding her hands up in a defensive position. This startled me—why throw away two weapons when I am obviously still armed? She saw the question in my bloodred eyes, and answered it.

"I don't want to give myself an advantage."

Growling with rage at the heavily implied insult, I ran at her again, swinging my katana in a deadly dance. She tapped the blade lightly aside with a folded fan that seemed to have appeared in her hand. I smirked at this—razor fans are women's weapons—strong, certainly, but far inferior to my stolid sword. I let myself charge past her as she intended, but spun behind her and swung at her as she turned. My blow did not contact her, though—it glanced noisily off her now unfolded fan. I was surprised that her iron fan withstood a blow from my true steel sword, but I did not hesitate. Swinging my blade around, I clove upwards around her guard, but she darted away, lunging at me from the side with her fan. I dodged, then leapt back. Still holding her iron fan two-handed, Machigai dropped her pack and used her teeth to undo the brooch that held her cloak. She spat it to the ground, and the grey cape fell off her shoulders. Beneath it, she wore a dark green kimono-style tunic, belted at the waist, and grey-brown trousers that tucked into the tops of her boots, just below the knees. Several unornamented leather sheathes hung from her belt, and I suspected that she had more knives hidden on her person. Smiling, she beckoned me with her fan.

From my previous attack, I could guess that we were fairly evenly matched at hand-to-hand close-range fighting, so it would be fruitless to continue that manner of combat. I would have to use ninjutsu.

While living in Konoha, I had made discoveries in ninjutsu beyond most people's wildest dreams. Not only did I possess a unique kekkai genkai, the sharingan, and its second form, the mangekyou, but I had also perfected the process of elementally recomposing chakra, resulting in two new jutsu—one for each of my chakra types. I had not intended to use either in this battle, but Machigai had proved a formidable opponent. It was time.

I decided on a lightning type attack, targeting her metal weapon which she gripped bare-handed. Concentrating chakra to my fingers with a hand seal, I urged it towards its natural lightning form. It began to crackle to life, and I blew, my breath gaining strength from it to carry the lightning towards Machigai. It struck hard and fast, sure to hit!

But somehow it did not. As it approached her, it split down the middle, breaking around her like a wave around a stolid rock. Then something exceedingly strange happened. The crackling bolts slowed and spread around her, forming a protective cocoon about a metre from her body.

"Wind type chakra?" I guessed. "_And_ lightning?"

She nodded. "Earth as well."

I was flabbergasted. Three chakra types? It was unheard of. "What, then is you kekkai genkai?" I asked, masking my astonishment.

"Kekkai genkai?" Her brow furrowed in confusion. "I have none."

Three types of chakra and no kekkai genkai? I had never even dreamt of such a thing. My mind was now set.

"All right," I said. "I believe you." 

She looked skeptical. "Just like that?" 

"Yes." I smirked. "If you're this strong, you must be related to me."

Cautiously, she let down her lightning shield, and I could better see her sneer. "Cocky, aren't you?"

"Just honest." I shrugged. "I am strong. Probably the strongest man alive. That's just facts. It would make sense that my sister would be strong, too."

"Strongest man alive, hm?" She smiled secretively. "Uchiha Madara, this is not true."

"You know of someone stronger?" 

"No. Uchiha Madara, you are no man. Our mother was human, true. I believe you know of her, since you were raised by her father. But _our_ father… he was far from human. He was a ruler among the demon-gods."

"It makes sense. I always knew that I was special…"

"And it will explain your apparent immortality, which you have no doubt wondered about."

"Yes…" I trailed off, then recollected my thoughts. "So, I assume you did not hunt me down simply for a touching family reunion."

"I did not."

"What for, then? You had need of my strength?"

"No. I wish to found an… organisation, of sorts."

"An organisation? I assume you're not planning a ladies' tea society."

"No, I plan to found a group of powerful shinobi to help me with some… objectives that I have. In exchange, I will give them money, power, and prestige. We will be feared and awed by all the world!"

"And you want me to join?"

"In a manner of speaking."

My patience for her enigmatic manner of speech was wearing thin. "Can you not speak plainly, woman?"

She smiled. "I wish you to be my façade, acting as a leader in my place, while, in reality, it is in my control."

"Why not simply assume leadership yourself?"

Walking over to where she had tossed her staff, she picked it up and pulled my blade from it with astonishing ease. As she spoke, she tested its balance, holding it in perfect equilibrium. "Imagine, Madara, that you were considering joining a powerful secret organisation." She lightly pressed the edge of the blade to her fingertip, then raised her eyebrows at how easily she drew blood. "Of course, despite its secrecy, rumors have gotten out about it amongst the underground elite. Rumors about its leader. Would you join, knowing that it was led by a woman?" She threw the sword at me lightly. "That's a fine blade you have there."

I snatched it out of the air in front of me. "No, I would not. I can see your point. But rumors of this organisation would spread a bit too quickly for your tastes if it was found that Uchiha Madara was the leader, would they not?"

She nodded curtly. "They would. We don't want third-class scum scrabbling for a position. And t hat is the reason for the second façade."

"Second façade…?" 

She hesitated for a moment, as if deciding where to begin. "You see… I, too have created a clan, though of course, they do not bear the name Uchiha, but rather the name of my late husband."

"How many do they number?" 

"Very few. I am not like you, Madara, marrying my half-sister and having twelve concubines to expand your legacy."

My face hardened. "It is my duty to produce heirs."

She laughed softly. "Your duty and your pleasure. But no, my clan was never like yours. It was very small."

"Was?"

"Unfortunately, most were killed in the Amegakure civil wars. Only one remains."

"And this one… he is special?"

"Very. You see, while neither I nor my husband had a kekkai genkai, a very unique one occurs every so often in my family line. You have heard of the rinengan?"

My eyes widened and my words came hard and fast. "Of course. Everyone has. You mean to say—"

"My descendant Nagato has inherited this strange gift. He has been trained, I believe, by a shinobi of your former village, and he has an intense desire that will lead him to seek power. He will act as a leader to the members, but will believe you to be the true leader."

She had thought this through. I was almost impressed.

"And what shall we call this organisation?"

She responded with one word, and that word contained such enigmatic meaning that it sent shivers down my spine. Throughout the days and weeks that would follow, this word would echo through my mind.

"Akatsuki."


	5. Of Becoming A Human

"Come _on!_"

"No. We'll get in trouble."

"You're such a prick, Nato. Jiraiya-sensei will never notice if we just take it for one hour!"

"I'm not coming!"

"You're such a prick. I'm going by myself, then." Turning, I headed off along familiar streets. A moment later, I heard hurried footsteps, then Minato was walking beside me. I grinned. "Knew you wanted to come."

"Dammit, Ku, you're going to get us is trouble again!"

"Again? Me? Why, who was the one who masterminded the great give-the-Hokage-on-the-mountain-facepaint operation?"

"You!"

I ignored him. "And _who_ thought that it would be a good idea to steal Tsunade-hime's saké?"

"You again."

"And who was it who died Sandaime-sama's robes orange?"

"Ku, you did all those things!"

"Exactly. I'm a genius."

He sighed in exasperation. "Fine. Whatever. But _why_ do we have to steal Jiraiya-sensei's book?"

"Aren't you curious about what's in it?"

"I _know_ what's in it."

"But aren't you curious about what it's actually like?"

"No! Pervert! Girls aren't supposed to be pervs!"

"And why not? Are we all supposed to be pricks like you?"

"Tomboy!"

"Goody-two-shoes!"

"Pervert!"

"Prick! Come on, let's go!"

* * *

Life as a human was interesting.

Of course, they had strange ideas and morals that they imposed upon me, but the lived interesting lives. It was almost fun, this strange façade. Sometimes I even dreamed of making this my life, of forgetting my plan—but no, I had to remember that I could never be one of them. I reminded myself of this every three weeks when I retreated into the mountains alone. The others believed that I was visiting my family, but in reality I was by myself to take my own true form. That was the only way I was able to pull of this most excellent of tricks.

The boy—Minato—was easy to befriend. I think he looked on me as a younger sister, and he was always ready to defend, to protect. He did his best to look out for me, tried to keep me out of trouble. I, in turn, tried to get him to loosen up, to actually let himself have fun. We were an odd pair, but we got along well.

There was something else about him—something strange. I was happy when I was with him. I wondered if this was what the humans called friendship, or love. I had heard both of these words, and understood that they were similar, but not the same thing, but I did not know how to differentiate between them, as I had sometimes heard them used interchangeably. But whatever they were, they were human emotions, and I was beginning to feel them towards Minato.

My plan was beginning to fall apart.

* * *

"Buy me ramen, Nato!"

"You had ramen for lunch. And breakfast. And probably all your meals yesterday."

"But ramen's so great!"

"Fine. I have something to tell you anyway. I might as well tell you over dinner."

"Yay! Let's go to Ichiraku!" Grabbing his hand, I pulled him along behind me as I dashed ahead.

"Kushina…"

I put down my chopsticks and turned to Minato. I could tell this was important—he only called me by my full name when he was really serious.

"What, Nato?"

"Kushina… Ku… you know how I'm going to become Hokage?"

"It'd be hard _not_ to know, way you're always talking about it."

"Well…" He fidgeted in his seat a bit. "I have to go train for a while, outside of Konoha. Just Jiraiya-sensei and me."

"Okay." This was his big secret? He had to go on a trip? "So, like a long training mission?"

"Yeah."

"When will you be back?"

He mumbled so that I could barely hear him. "About three years…"

"What?!" I leapt to my feet, upsetting my stool and overturning my bowl of ramen. "Three years?! What the hell?!"

"Calm down, Kushina." Minato obviously had been expecting this reaction.

"Calm down? Gods…" I righted my stool and sank onto it. "Three years…"

"About that." He glanced over at me, fuming with my arms crossed tightly. "Look, I don't want to leave, but I have to if I ever want to become Hokage. It'll just be a few years. You won't even notice I'm gone."

"Right." I slumped forward in my seat. "Fine. Go. I don't care."

Something dawned on his face and he looked surprised. "Wait... you're actually going to miss me?"

"'Course I am, dummy." I scowled. "You're my best friend."

"Here," he said suddenly. His fingers fumbled at his wrist, unfastening the bracelet he always wore. He grabbed my hand and pressed the bracelet into my palm, folding my fingers over it. "I'll come back for this."

"But—"

He smiled. "I'm sure my mum would've understood. Listen, I'm going to create a new jutsu, from some writings of Uchiha Madara's. I'll teach it to you when I get back, okay?" I nodded solemnly and he stood, still holding my hand. I've really got to go pack, now. I'm leaving tomorrow." Then, more softly "Goodbye, Ku."

"'Bye," I whispered as he disappeared into the night.

I glanced at my hand, tightly clutching Minato's precious bracelet.

"He'd _better_ come back for it," I growled.

* * *

"Hey! HEY!" someone shouted from behind me. "Kushina!" I turned and saw someone running after me. I stopped walking and waited impatiently for him to catch up. He ran clumsily, and was panting by the time he caught up to me.

"Hey," I said, finally recognising him. "You're that kid from Ichiraku, aren't you?"

He answered between gasps. "Yeah—my dad—owns it—and I'm not—really—a kid. I'm—older—than you."

"Uh-huh," I said apathetically. "So, you had something to tell me?"

His face flushed red. "Well—uh—something to—ask you—actually." I raised my eyebrows and waited impatiently. "Um—well—doyouwanttogooutwithme?"

"What?"

He hurried on, his face growing more and more crimson. "We could just go to Ichiraku if you want, or we could go somewhere nicer. I'd pay, of course—"

"No."

"Huh?" His face was almost comical; it was so shocked and confused.

"Sorry, but no. I don't want to go out with you."

"Please?"

I sighed. "Listen. If you just walk away now, I'll pretend this never happened. Or, you could ask me out again. And then I'll hit you."

He decided to be an idiot. "Maybe a movie?"

Before he knew what was happening, he was on the ground clutching his jaw. I stood over him, glaring down.

"There's a nice girl who lives near Ichiraku, Yuri or something. I'm sure she'd be more willing to go out with you than me." I shook back my sleeve to show the azure beads that encircled my wrist. "I'm waiting for someone else."

* * *

I sang softly to myself as I strolled into the forest, a lilting demon melody with chords unusual to human music. It was a quiet summer day, and Minato's teammates were gone on a mission, so I was going to bathe in a forest pool, as was my habit on days such as this. I could have gone to the bathhouse, but I preferred the relaxing solitude of the cool forest springs. The clamour of human life was still bewildering at times, and I often needed to be by myself.

I didn't stop upon reaching the first pool I encountered, but continued on to one I knew well, a small, sun-dappled pool in a grassy clearing. Shedding my clothes at the water's edge, I plunged into the icy water. I dipped my head beneath the surface and opened my eyes, surveying the gravely bottom through crystal water. I stayed under until I could hold my breath no longer, then burst upward, my long hair clinging to my wet body. I laughed for pure joy, gulping in air.

"Kushina?"

I spun around to face—Minato! We stood blinking at each other for a long moment before we both remembered that I was naked, covered only by my clinging wet hair. He flushed bright red and turned around.

"Sorry, I'll go—I didn't realise—"

"No, stay." Climbing from the water, I snatched up my clothes and hurriedly pulled them on. They were reluctant to go on, sticking to my damp body, but soon I was dressed, and I ran to Minato, spinning him around and flinging myself into his arms.

"Wow, Nato, you're so tall!" I held him at arm's length to see him clearly, then threw my arms around him again. "I missed you so much!"

Minato was clearly bewildered by this sudden abundance of affection, but he hugged me dutifully until I pulled away. Then he took my hand and gazed over me.

"You've really grown, too, Ku." His gaze lingered a moment on my chest as he said this, and I smacked him across the head.

"Nato, you perv!" I scolded appreciatively. "What happened to that mild-mannered little prick I knew?"

"Uh… he ran away?"

I smiled up at him, and we stood still for a while, gazing on each other, and then Minato pulled me out of the shadow of the trees into the sun. Holding my hand out, he smiled at the bracelet on it.

"You don't think I've forgotten my promise, do you?"

"Promise?" It was hard to remember anything, now that my best friend was back after so many years.

"I promised to teach you my new jutsu! Now here, you'll need this." He placed something in my outstretched palm.

"A water balloon?"

He smiled. "You'll see…"


	6. Of Strange Desires

Author's Note: This chapter contains, or rather, is made almost exclusively of, a lime leaning towards a lemon. Reader discretion is advised among those of the chibi sort.

* * *

A new feeling was building inside of me, like the friendship or love I felt towards Minato, but this one I could place. It was called lust.

I had cared for him before, when we were children, but this was something new. When I saw him, tall and handsome with his piercing blue eyes, I _wanted_ him. Not just a desire to be around him, but a new, strange desire that I knew of only from Jiraiya-sensei's dirty books. This, I knew, must be the final stage of my mental transformation into a human. In desperation, I made a decision.

I told Minato and Jiraiya that an urgent call had come from home requiring me to leave immediately. I smiled distracted at Minato, and my last sight as I slipped away into the forest was of him with his hand still outstretched where I had pulled mine away.

As soon as I was out of sight of Konoha, I ran, morphing midstep into a giant tiger. I poured my strength into my legs, letting the forest fly by on either side of me. I lost myself in the exhilaration of the running until I changed into my kyuubi form, and then I kept on running, my powerful, enourmous strides easily covering the distance to the cave where I had once lived.

Standing at the brink of the whirlpool, I hesitated a moment, reluctant to reenter the home I had left. But I needed to seek council.

I took a deep breath and plunged over the edge.

* * *

Of course he was out. Father's visits were rare, especially now that only four of my sisters remained at home—Go had been sent out by now. So I had never really expected him to be home when I arrived.

But it was with the greatest impatience that I waited for the next four months.

* * *

I was upon Father the moment her arrived, my nine tails swirling around him as I spoke, so fast that I was unintelligible. Irritated, he flung me back from him using pure force of spiritual energy. I flew through the air until my body hit the far wall, then fell to the floor beneath. Father stood over me, looking slightly amused.

"So, what is of such great importance that my prodigal daughter must return, seeking my advice?"

I pulled myself to my feet and shook vigourously, sending debris flying from my heavy coat. "I have been living in the human world for the past seven years, Father."

"I know. I am a god, after all."

"During that time, I met a young male human, and, well…"

"You have begun to lust after him."

"Yes."

He paused a moment. "I assume that you were in human form when this occurred?" I nodded. "You have probably noticed that while you assume that shape, you are just as suspect to the needs to eat, drink, sleep, and relieve yourself as any other human. It works the same way with the human need for reproduction, which leads to the human desire for sexuality. There is no harm in following this urge, just as there is no harm in eating or drinking while in your human form. There is no harm in sleeping with this human, though if reproduction is you aim, I fear that you will fail, as you will not be able to hold your human form for long enough to bear the child to term. There is one precaution you should take, though."

"What is it?" My brain was still buzzing with the idea that _it was alright to sleep with Minato._ I could have what I desired.

"Do not fall in love with him. Don't delude yourself that you can ever be together as equals. He could never love you, knowing what you are, and you, loving him, could never keep such a secret from him. Never forget this, and never let yourself love him."

"Yes, Father." If only he knew that it was already too late.

* * *

**Minato**

I was in my flat when Kushina returned, reading over the profiles of the team of twelve-year-olds I was to lead. She crept in silently while I read, with her stealth that seemed superhuman at times. So quiet was she, and so absorbed was I in my reading, that I didn't notice her until she stood in the doorway to my study and said very softly "Minato".

"Kushina." Standing, I strode swiftly over to her, smiling warmly.

What happened next took me completely by surprise. No sooner had I reached Kushina then she had wrapped her arms around my neck, pulled my face to hers, and kissed me, deep and fiercely.

For a moment, I stiffened with shock, but then my male instincts took over and I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer to me, eliminating any semblance of space between us. One hand gripped her fiery hair while the other slid down her lower back in a desperate attempt to bring her closer yet to me. She broke free to gasp for air, and I pressed my lips to her collarbone, breathing in the sweet aroma of her flesh. She made use of my preoccupation to slide her cool fingers up my shirt, dancing playfully along my chest. I hesitated a moment as the magnitude of Kushina's desires began to dawn on me, but then her nose traced up my jaw and her lips brushed my earlobe, and I lost myself again in her passion.

Kushina's hands continued up and around my back, then entangled themselves in the fabric of my shirt and pulled it up over my head, mussing up my hair.

"Kushina…" I gripped her face between my hands and stared into her eyes. "Kushina, we can't do this."

She grinned wickedly. "And why not? We're both adults, we know what we're doing. And Minato, _I love you,_" she breathed, closing her eyes in the ecstasy of her words.

"Kushina."

"I love you, Minato. I _love_ you!" She had an almost childlike excitement in her voice, as if the words somehow liberated her. "I love you." She grabbed my shoulders, and, with remarkable strength, threw me down onto my bed. "I love you, and I _want_ you." She pulled her shirt over her head and then unzipped her shorts and tugged them off.

"I do, too," I gasped, my voice full of an almost painful longing. "But—but we can't—because—because—" I was sure that I'd had good arguments, but I couldn't seem to remember them. The sight of Kushina standing before me, barely dressed, had driven all other thoughts from my mind.

Sensing my weakness like some great predator, Kushina climbed atop me and leaned in to kiss me ferociously, her teeth nearly drawing blood from my lips. My hands reached up tentatively to the back of her bra while hers were occupied with the button and zipper of my pants. With my final ounce of willpower, I tried to take my hands away, but the battle was lost. Unable to undo the clasp, I broke it off and threw it from me. Her bra fell away, and I pulled her bare chest to mine. I could feel her heartbeat through her breast, pulsing fast as adrenaline surged through her. Only one barrier now stood between us and what we wanted, and we pulled it away, not caring how we tore the undergarments from each other's bodies. At last, we pressed together uninhibitedly, our breath coming in erratic gasps as our hands struggled to touch as much skin as possible. Kushina dug her fingers deep into my hair and locked her mouth on mine. In the brief, yet painfully long moments when we pulled apart, only one phrase escaped her rosy lips.

"Minato—I love you."


	7. Of Leaders and Sucession

Author's Note: Machigai is sometimes referred to in this chapter as Gin-sama. This is because gin means silver, and this is the name given her because of her hair colour.

* * *

**Machigai**

I was known a bit in Iwagakure, and in secret, I had influence in that country. It was I who had orchestrated the war with Konoha, and since then I had spent a significant amount of time there, making sure that all was going according to plan. I was Iwagakure when I found The Boy.

He was nearly dead when I found him, half his body crushed by an enourmous boulder, and the eye was missing from the left side of his face. Leaning forward to feel for breath, I was surprised to see that the missing eye had been surgically removed by a medic ninja.

Using my earth-type chakra, it was easy to lift the boulder off of him with a wall of soil. Glancing down, I saw that his right eye had survived. It was bloodred—a sharingan.

My mind raced as I took his small body into my arms. Iwagakure had made revolutionary advances recently in medicine and technology, and I was known in a nearby town as a traveling priestess who had helped them on several occasions. If I could persuade them to help him, everything could fall together. The boy could be the final puzzle piece that made my plan succeed.

I ran to the town and straight to the hospital. Ignoring the other patients in the waiting room, I strode purposefully over and laid him on the counter.

"This child needs medical attention," I hissed urgently to a cheerful nurse in a pink uniform.

The nurse swallowed nervously. "I can see that, Gin-sama, and we'd be glad to help, but… is there a problem? You seem… agitated."

"He's a Konoha ninja." There was no use hiding it; they'd know as soon as they saw his eye, anyway.

A bit of panic crept into the nurse's smile. "You'd—you'd better speak to Ashitawa-giisama. Yumi," she called to another nurse, who glanced up. "Put this boy in a room, take his vitals, and put him on an IV. I've got to take Gin-sama to see Ashitawa-giisama." Yumi nodded and brought a gurney over. I lowered the boy onto it, then hurried away after the nurse in pink.

She stopped at a closed door and tapped sharply on it. The voices within halted and someone called "Come in". We entered into a simple study with bookshelf-lined walls. Two elderly men were seated across from each other at a central desk.

"Toyoshima-giisama, Ashitawa-giisama." The nurse bowed, and I nodded my head respectfully. "Gin-sama is here, and she needs to speak to Ashitawa-giisama about something important."

The elder of the men smiled. "I'm sure that Toyoshima-sama would be interested, too. You go on, Tomi. Gin-sama can talk to the two of us." The nurse bowed and left, and Ashitawa shifted in his chair to face me. "Konichiwa-gozaimasu, Gin-sama. I am pleased to meet you; I have heard of your kind deeds towards the people of this town. I am Ashitawa Taro, the hospital director, and this is my good friend Toyoshima Hikaru, the director of commerce. Now, how may we help you?" He folded his hands before him and looked on attentively.

"There is a boy with me who has been grievously injured and requires medical treatment."

"Then I don't see why it shouldn't be given him. We are a hospital, after all."

"But, sir… he is a Konoha ninja."

"I don't see how that makes a difference."

"But Ashitawa-san," Toyoshima interjected. "Surely you can't be serious. Our country's at war with the Land of Fire. Even so, I would see no reason not to treat a civilian from Fire country, but this boy is a ninja. Not only has he probably killed our men, but if you treat him, you could be tried for treason. Even _you_ could not be so naïve as to help him."

Ashitawa smiled. "That is good business thinking that will get you far in life. It is no wonder that such a knowledgeable man is our director of commerce." I made a noise of protest, but he pressed on. "If this hospital was a business, I would certainly take your advice. But, you see, it is not. It is an institution for the good of the people. So we will serve the boy, and if that is treason, then so be it." He turned back to me. "Come with me, Gin-sama, and we will see what we can do."

* * *

**Obito**

_Kakashi? Rin? Minato?_

I struggled up through clouds of blackness towards a bright electric light. Half of my body was sore, but half was heavy and dead-feeling, and completely numb.

"…couldn't replace his left eye, but it looks like a medic-nin removed it, so it should heal cleanly…"

_Medic-nin? Rin? Is Rin here?_

"We could give him a glass eye, or he could wear an eyepatch like you, milady. Or maybe a mask…"

_Rin… I told Rin to give my eye to Kakashi. I guess she did. But… why am I alive?_

"Is he ready to move yet?"

"No, no. It will be several weeks before that, but I'm sure you could find a room in town."

"I'm afraid I can't linger. Here, take this," I heard the rustling of money changing hands "and look after him. I'll return as soon as I can and pay the remainder of the cost" I heard footsteps stride over to me. "Boy, are you awake?"

"Y-yes. Who are you?"

"I am Machigai. What is your name?"

"Uchiha Obito."

"Obito. Then you will be Tobi, now. Will you help me, Tobi?"

"You saved my life."

She smiled. "Indeed. So, Tobi, have you heard of Uchiha Madara?"

"What Uchiha hasn't?"

Her voice dropped down to a whisper. "You'll never believe this, but he's still alive. I… work for him. He needs you to serve as his mouth in an organisation that he is founding. Will you help him with that, Tobi?"

"Of course, milady."

"Good man, Tobi." She flashed me a grin, then turned to leave. I caught a glimpse of a swirling grey cloak, and I lifted my head a painful fraction of an inch and turned it to watch her go. Halfway to the door, she turned and looked back. "Check out your new arm and leg if you can, eh?" She turned again and swept out the door.

New arm and leg? So I was right in assuming that the numbness of half my body meant that I had lost it. But new arm and leg? I'd never heard of such a thing.

A friendly looking nurse appeared at my side. "It's okay to try our your new arm, at least. In fact, you probably should, to get your nerves accustomed to the new connections."

I tried to lift my right arm, and, despite the lack of feeling, a hand appeared before my face, skillfully crafted of metal and plastic. I thought: _move fingers_, and the finger of the hand waved through the air in front of me. Yet, tapping the new hand lightly against the bedframe, I felt nothing.

"It's an experimental model, but it should guarantee your mobility. What do you think?"

I grinned. "I like it."

* * *

**Nagato**

As every night, I lay in bed, Konan held protectively in my arms, unable to sleep. I traced cracks in the ceiling with my eyes, and listened to Yahiko snore in the other room. And, always, my attention came back to the girl I held. I gently stroked her soft blue hair, and she murmured something in her sleep. Smiling softly, I brushed my lips against her forehead. Knowing Konan, one would have thought that she could be no more sweet and peaceful by night as during the day, but slumber further softened her expression, and the childlike trust of relying on me entirely was beautifully profound.

My eyelids gradually closed, and I was nearly asleep when a sound startled me.

"Fuuma Nagato!"

Snatching up a kunai from beneath my pillow, I pulled Konan closer, shielding her with my arms. "Who's there?" I hissed.

"Someone who wishes to treat with you. Come with me quietly, and I will leave the girl and the other boy alone."

I snarled softly, wishing that I had more than one kunai with me. I couldn't risk throwing the one I had for fear of losing my only weapon. I assessed my options for a moment, and realised that I had no choice but to do what the stranger asked and hope that he would honor his promise and not harm the others. Gently slipping Konan out of my arms, I climbed out of bed and pulled on my shirt. Calling myself a thousand kinds of idiot and swearing to always sleep well-armed in the future, I clambered out the window, landing lightly in the garden below. A shadowy figure beckoned to me, and I followed it deeper into the bushes, away from the house.

"Fuuma Nagato." We stopped and the figure spoke again. "You seek power?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"To defend Konan and Yahiko, the ones you saw in there."

A flash of moonlight illuminated an eerily grinning mouth of white teeth. "All that you desire, I can grant you. Strength, power, everything. Follow me, and you shall have it."

My brow furrowed as I was struck by his statement. With power, I could do more than just defend my friends; I could restore my village to its' former glory and overthrow injustice. Stop pain in the world.

"Who are you?" I asked.

He grinned again. "Uchiha Madara."


	8. Of Danger

**Minato**

How wonderful that time was, when Kushina and I were together, when our days were counted not by hours or minutes, but by secret kisses and the times we snuck off to my room. How wonderful, how glorious that time of flirtatious whispers and sweet caresses. And not only love, but achievements marked that time. She mastered the rasengan, and I celebrated. I became Hokage, and she celebrated. But all good things must come to an end. How wonderful it was, but how short a time before Kushina told me that she was pregnant.

We had stolen away to my flat, as was our habit, but she seemed subdued, less mischievous than usual. When we got into the room, she pulled me close and kissed me slowly, gently, but then she broke away and gave me a small, sad smile.

"Minato… I am bearing your child."

I drew in a gasp of breath, then leaned down and kissed her in ecstasy. To have the woman I loved give birth to my child was all that I could have ever hoped for. I kissed her lovingly, but again she pulled away. To my surprise, her eyes were wet with tears.

"Minato, I have deceived you."

"What is it?" I asked, my voice full of concern. She sank to the floor and I knelt beside her.

"Have you ever heard of Kyuubi no Yoko?" she questioned abruptly.

"Sure, that's one of the bijuu, right? It's been destroying a lot of towns near here in the past fifteen, twenty years."

She smirked bitterly. "I know a bit more about the kyuubi than most. Did you know that the bijuu are daughters of the god Uchiwa and his nine animal consorts?"

"Daughters? I thought that they were male."

She smirked again. "Yes, daughters. And the kyuubi, because of her kitsune side, has certain… fox-like abilities."

"The gift of transformation?" I guessed.

"Yes. She takes many forms." She paused, as if bracing herself, then spread her delicate hands, gesturing to indicate her own body. "This is one of them."

I blinked at her in shock, unable—no, unwilling—to accept what she was saying.

"Minato, I am Kyuubi no Yoko."

"No." I grabbed her wrists and held them in my hand, as if that would stop her hands from incriminating her. "No. You can't be. It's—it's impossible."

"It isn't." She blinked hard as tears welled up in her clear blue eyes. "I am the kyuubi; I always have been."

And, finally, I began to believe her. The trusting part of me still denied its possibility, but the logical side screamed that it was true; that the one I loved most in the world had deceived me. I dropped her wrists as if they burnt me and backed across the room.

"Minato…" She reached out to me with her lily hand, but I pushed it away.

"Stay away from me, monster!"

"Minato!" The tears now fell freely down her cheeks as she wept unashamedly. "Minato, I love you. I may have lied about other things, but that was never—_never_—a lie." She reached out again for my hand. "I thought you loved me, too."

"I loved Uzumaki Kushina," I snarled. "But she was never anything but a lie."

She recoiled as if slapped, and then her face transformed to one of anger. Orange chakra bubbled over her body, taking the form of a fox. Terrified, I backed as far towards the wall as I could, upsetting my desk. Papers drifting towards her were incinerated by the restless chakra.

Then something extraordinary happened. With a determined, almost angelic expression, she clenched her two hands together and pressed them to her chest. Gradually, the chakra diminished, drawing back into her human body. Exhausted, Kushina had only enough strength to gasp my name before she collapsed to the floor.

Despite my fear, I ran to her side and knelt. She smiled up at me weakly. "Uzumaki Kushina may have started as a lie, but she is now who I am. I haven't been Kyuubi for the past fourteen years. I have been human since… the day… I first…" As her eyelids fluttered shut, she breathed two last words. "…Loved you…"

**Kushina**

When I awoke, the first thing I saw was two startlingly blue eyes peering at me with concern. In a moment, I knew that I was on Minato's bed—the feeling of his mattress against my back was one that I knew well.

"Minato." The corners of my mouth lifted slightly. "You didn't run away." 

He leaned in and gently pressed his lips to mine. "Why would I run from you, Ku?" he whispered, affectionately reverting to my childhood nickname.

I brought my hand to my midriff and placed it tenderly above my womb. "The baby survived," I sighed. "I retained enough control to keep my chakra away from it." I clenched my teeth and gathered myself. "Minato, kill me."

"What?" He looked aghast.

My voice was pleading. "I can only hold this form for maybe two, two-and-a-half months. Since the child is a quarter demon, he will grow quickly, but still, I may not be strong enough. And, even if I am, I'm sure to transform as soon as I give birth. When I do, I will destroy Konoha and kill everyone in it. I don't want to, but with the transformation comes a total lack of control. You must kill me now, Hokage-sama. It is the only way to save your village." 

"No." He looked determined, yet as if he were internally arguing with himself. "I refuse."

"Then promise me, Minato." My desperation was evident, I was sure. "Promise me that you won't let me hurt anyone."

He gripped my hand reassuringly. "It is my duty to my village and to you. I will not forget it."

**Minato**

I was in a meeting with the council, debating a new law, when a young kunoichi rushed into the room and tapped my shoulder nervously.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Hokage-sama, but Kushina-san sent me for you to say that the baby's coming."

"What?" I overturned my water glass onto a pile of official documents and hastily righted it, trying to soak up the water with the hem of my coat. The girl tugged anxiously at my sleeve.

"She says to hurry!"

"Right." I ran halfway to the door, spun around to bow to the council, then zipped out. In a matter of seconds, I was at Kushina's apartment building. Strangely, she lay in the flowerbed.

"I fell out of the window," she muttered by way of explanation. "But I'm alright." I scooped her up in my arms. "Hey," she interjected. "I can walk."

"We've go to hurry," I hissed. "Do your best to hold your chakra in."

She nodded, determinedly, but tiredly. Kushina had not been able to sleep for the past four days, for fear that she wouldn't be able to hold her form while she slept.

I flew along the streets, rushing around familiar corners until I reached Jiraiya-sensei's house at the edge of town. Setting Kushina gently down by the front door, I dashed inside. Jiraiya was at the cluttered kitchen table, drinking saké and writing with a brush pen.

"Sensei! I need the toad scroll!"

"Wha—?" He looked up distractedly. "What do you need that for?"

I paused a moment. As urgent as it was that I hurry, the village needed to be warned. "Jiraiya-sensei… the kyuubi is coming. Evacuate the city, and muster all able ninja to… the west."

In an instant, I had his complete attention and he was tying on his battered hitai-ate as he spoke. "What of the Academy students? They'll want to fight."

"No. Have the eldest of them lead the younger children up to the shelters so that the teachers can defend the city. And have the rookie genin supervise the evacuation of civilians. I want no unnecessary bloodshed."

Removing the toad scroll from its hiding place, Jiraiya handed it to me. "And you?"

I strapped the large scroll to my back and grinned bitterly. "I'm going to meet it."

"Minato." My teacher grabbed my arm. "I know what you're thinking, and I agree that it needs to be done. But you're young, and you're a great Hokage. Let someone else seal the kyuubi. Let—let me do it!"

Kushina let out a soft moan from outside, and I turned to the door, shaking off his protective hand. "No. It has to be me."

"Minato!" Jiraiya sensei called, but I was already out of his house, my love in my arms, running as far away from Konoha as I could. Orange chakra was beginning to seep from Kushina's body, but she valiantly held it in, contorting her face as her body was wracked by contractions.

"Don't worry," I whispered into her hair. "Everything is going to be alright."


	9. Of Beginnings

**Jiraiya**

The field was strewn with the dead and the dying. From all around me came cries of pain and loss. The ground drank greedily, gorging itself on the blood of the fallen. Somewhere in the night, a dying ninken let out its last howl of mortal pain. Even the moon appeared to glow red, as if reflecting the carnage on the ground.

But in the midst of this macabre scene, one thing drew my attention. Minato's body lay alone, broken by its fall from Gamabunta's back, the empty shell of what had been my student. He had fallen nobly.

In the days that followed, we would never find Kushina. It was assumed that she was among the innumerable dead mangled beyond recognition. But Minato's corpse was untouched; it might have been alive, but for the odd position of its broken limbs. It was as if the kyuubi wanted to cause us this one last grief—to see our beloved Hokage dead, to know that it was him, and that his spirit had left us.

A great, keening cry arose from those around me at the sight of his lifeless body, and many came close, trying to draw some slight comfort from each other as they gazed down on their fallen leader. Many hovered a few metres away, as if afraid to draw too near, but one pale-eyed man strode forward and snatched up the babe whose fall had been broken by Minato's protective embrace. He, like I, saw the seal on the infant's abdomen, and knew well what it meant.

"Let us kill it now," he hissed, drawing a kunai. "Let us be rid of it before it can bring us more misery!"

He raised the kunai and made as if to plunge it into the baby's small chest, but before even I could move, the young jounin Kakashi had seized the man's wrist, squeezing it so that the weapon dropped from his hand.

"I think, Hanazawa-san," he said, gazing upon the body of his teacher and friend "that we have had enough of killing tonight."

The man turned his head away. "I apologise, Kakashi-taijou. You are right." Shoving the child into Kakashi's arms, he pressed his way through the crowd.

"Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi held the babe out to me. "Perhaps you should take him?"

I took the infant into my arms. He was squalling loudly now, as if he could sense the grief in the air. I rocked him gently, and he ceased his crying and opened his eyes. They were a bright, alert blue, so like his parents' that I had to blink back tears.

"Jiraiya-sama." A female medic ninja touched my elbow. "You're wounded."

"It's nothing," I said. "Go help Tsunade—others out there need your help more than I."

As she turned to go, the girl looked back at the baby I still held. "What—what will you name him, sir?"

I remembered the name Kushina and Minato had picked for this baby. I had thought of it, actually, just a random name I picked while eating ramen. But now… now I realised that it was perfect. It was a strange name, a wind and water name. Like his mother's. Like his father's. And somehow, it is just right for him.

"Sir?"

"I think…" I said slowly. "I think that we will call him Naruto."

_The End_


End file.
